


A Child of Two Worlds

by NeverAndAlways



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Childbirth, M/M, Mpreg, Not Beta Read, Pregnancy, Pregnant Steve, semi-graphic birth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-26
Updated: 2015-03-03
Packaged: 2018-03-12 23:00:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3358514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeverAndAlways/pseuds/NeverAndAlways
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another request for naughtyangelxo. Hope you like it!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [naughtyangelxo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/naughtyangelxo/gifts).



Hardly a day goes by that Steve isn't thankful for the super-soldier serum, now that he's come to terms with it. Without it he would have died long ago as that tiny kid from Brooklyn. It catapulted him headlong into a life that he never would have chosen, but wouldn't trade for anything. It gave him a purpose. Who else can say that they've worked (and argued) with Tony Stark, met Doctor Bruce Banner, had coffee with Hawkeye and the Black Widow, or fought beside- and fallen in love with -Thor Odinson? If you had told Steve, all those years ago, that this would be his life someday, he would've laughed. He still does sometimes, because how can this be real? He's Captain America now, part of the Avengers, engaged to the Norse god of thunder and pregnant with his first child. Truth is stranger than fiction.

And that child should have been born hours ago. It's March 6th; Steve went into labor on the 5th. He's just glad he decided on a homebirth. He still doesn't quite trust the 21st century and all its devices, and he can't imagine having his baby in some hospital. He's giving birth here in the apartment. No nurses or fancy equipment, just him and Thor and Bruce. And the baby, if it ever gets here.

Steve punctuates that last thought with a moan as a contraction starts to build. The sound comes from deep inside him, starting almost at his toes and rising to his chest. He presses his forehead to the apartment window before him; it's blessedly cool, and his eyes drift shut. There are footsteps behind him suddenly, and hands on his back- wide, strong hands. Thor. They press into the base of his spine, rubbing circles there and drawing out the pain before moving upward.

"Steven?"

Steve opens his eyes. His fiance is reflected behind him in the rain-spattered glass. "How long?" Thor rumbles.

"Seven minutes." says Steve when the contraction releases him. "They're getting closer."

Thor smiles. "That is good. You are making progress."

Steve hums agreement and Thor's capable hands resume their pattern. After a minute or so, Thor speaks again. "I did this for my brother once, an age ago."

"Your brother...?"

"His child was three days coming into the world. I kept him company for much of that time."

In the fog of his mind, it takes a moment to put two and two together. "Loki has kids?"

"Aye. Four children. He bore Sleipnir, Fenrir, and Hel himself. Sleipnir is the eldest..." Thor's warm baritone washes over him. He lets it. Most of the words just roll off of him; he's too deep inside himself to really pay attention. Another contraction comes, and another. Thor's voice keeps him anchored through each one.

-

Four hours later, it's still raining. It's a good, hard rain that streams down the windows and rattles on the roof. The city is wet and gray beyond, and Steve labors on. It hurts. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. He's moved to the bed, at Bruce's request. Thor is right there with him. The pain is restless; it's everywhere and it's shaking Steve around like a dog with a rag. The whole Tower probably knows what's going on now, but he couldn't care less. All he can do is try and stay ahead of it. He's so tired. A soldier should never lose his cool, especially a super-soldier. But the contractions are relentless; they're wearing him down.

"You're doing great, Steve." says Bruce, from somewhere near his feet.

"Do not fight it." murmurs Thor behind him.

Caught in the middle, Steve just screams. "Please tell me this is accomplishing something." he begs through the end of the contraction.

"Getting there," Bruce assures him. "You're at nine centimeters. Give it two more hours, maybe three."

Three hours?? It's all Steve can do not to kick Bruce in the nose. Of course, it's not Bruce's fault that things are going so slowly, or that the baby is so big- but at this point, he'd really like to blame someone for it. If he could, this might all make sense. As it is, he's too tired to do anything but lean against Thor and wait for the next wave. The mutter of distant thunder catches his attention; he cranes his head back.

"Thor? Are you-?"

"Hush, dear one." Thor smiles a cryptic little smile. He plants a kiss on Steve's hair, and says nothing more.

-

"C'mon Steve, I need you to relax. Focus on my voice." Bruce's words are calm and firm, cutting through Steve's wails.

"I can't do it anymore, knock me out-" Steve presses himself back into his fiance's broad shoulder. "Thor!" he shouts, as though the name alone can keep the pain at bay. Thor's broad hands cover Steve's belly, and he presses a kiss to Steve's temple.

"I am here." he says quietly. "I've got you."

"It hurts."

"I know, but you are strong, Steven. Hang on just a little longer." Thor keeps his voice low so that only Steve can hear. Steve's only response is to sob against him. He turns worried eyes to Bruce. The doctor shakes his head; there isn't much they can do.

"This is the hardest part." Bruce explains. "He's fully dilated, this is just the transition phase. Shouldn't be much longer 'till he's ready to push."

Thor nods and rests his cheek against Steve's sweat-damp hair. He's quieter now, though his chest is heaving; gradually it slows until the two are breathing in unison. A while longer and it slows again into the rhythm of sleep. Bruce smiles, stands up on stiff legs. He pads away to the other room and there are tinkering noises from the kitchen moments later. Thor, meanwhile, shuts his eyes and tries to join Steve in sleep. They both need to rest while they can.

-

Bruce was true to his word: not thirty minutes pass before Steve is awake again. It happens gradually, like the sun after a storm, and Thor isn't even aware of it until he begins to move. Steve pushes himself upright and tries, with grim determination, to scoot to the edge of the bed. The expression in his eyes is one that Thor has seen many times before a battle. Thor sits up and calls for Bruce; the doctor is there in an instant.

"What's wrong?"

"It's time." Steve's voice is tight as he slings his legs over the side of the mattress. "Need to push."

There's a brief flurry of activity while Bruce snaps on gloves and gives instructions and everyone gets situated, and then nothing. A watchful pause fills the whole room, an intake of breath like an audience waiting for an actor to speak their first lines.

"Whenever you're ready, Steve. You know what to do."

There's no fanfare when Steve starts to push. Nothing dramatic, just a quiet grunt of effort. Bruce counts to ten, Steve lets out a heavy breath, and they do it all again. Push, count, breathe, repeat. Push, count, breathe, repeat. Things are going well. But then the grunts turn into moans, and the moans get louder until Steve is keening through every push.

"God, I can feel it." he pants.

"I should hope so," says Bruce calmly, "he's a big kid. Are all Asgardian babies this large?" that last question is directed at Thor, who just shrugs and looks uneasy.

"I would not know. Is Steven in any danger because of it?"

"No. The baby is big, but his pelvis is wide enough that- woah, Steve, slow down. Don't push too hard."

Steve is bearing down again. His hips are lifted up off the mattress with the effort of it, and his hair is plastered wet to his forehead. Bruce eases his knees farther apart.

"Steve, stop, you're going to tear-"

"I can't, I'm sorry, I can't!" Steve lets out a sharp cry as the head comes to crown and he does indeed tear.

"Damn." Bruce thrusts a towel between Steve's legs, and even Thor is a little alarmed by the blood that seeps into it. "It's okay, just relax. Gentle push this time."

Steve does as he's told. As he pushes, he curls in on himself so far that he nearly falls off the bed.

"Again."

More blood on the towel; Bruce is barely audible over Steve's cries. "...8, 9, 10. Good, there's the head. Don't push on the next one."

Steve fights his way through the contraction, puffing and panting like a steam engine as the baby turns. The bedframe creaks pitifully under his grasp.

"Okay, here he comes. One more good push and you'll have him."

Seconds stretch into minutes. The whole room seems to be holding its breath. The bedframe snaps with a TWANG that's all but drowned out by Steve's hoarse yell, and then-

"Congratulations, Captain. It's a boy."

Grinning from ear to ear, Bruce holds the baby up to its father. Steve takes the little being with shaking hands and hold it cautiously, as though it might break at a moment's notice. "Thor..." he breathes. "Thor, we have a son."

-

Thor was present for the birth of three of Loki's four children. It was long ago- thousands of years in Midgardian time -but he remembers each one clearly. Sleipnir was born in the dead of night, eight long limbs sprawled on the stable floor; Fenrir was so impatient to be born that Loki barely made it to his quarters in time; by the time little Hel arrived, Loki was so exhausted by the long labor that he stayed awake only long enough to name her. More than that, though, what stands out from each birth is the sense of awe. Thor remembers the joy in his brother's eyes, and he remembers his own amazement at seeing a new life come into the world.

But those moments pale in comparison to this. Seeing Steve give birth to their son has brought up emotions he can't quite name. He just stares at the baby in his arms while Steve is cleaned up in the next room, and wonders if he might burst with happiness. Now he understands Loki's joy. As far as he's concerned, his son is the most beautiful creature in the Nine Realms, and he will do everything in his power to protect him. 

"Thor?"

Doctor Banner stands before him. His hands are still bloody and he looks just as tired as Thor and Steve. He gestures toward the bedroom. "Steve's asking for you."

Thor smiles his thanks and shuffles away, careful not to disturb the baby. The bedroom lights have been dimmed, and Steve is laying on his side against a stack of pillows. He props himself up on one elbow as Thor approaches.

"Hey." he whispers. "How's the little guy?"

"He is extraordinary." Thor beams. He hands the baby over and settles down beside Steve, and for several minutes they do nothing but lay there and savor the quiet.

"Bruce says he's almost ten pounds." says Steve eventually. "Felt like fifteen." he sighs. With all the hard work done, fatigue is closing in on both of them.

"He looks like you." Thor ghosts one huge hand over the baby's downy blond hair.

Steve hums in agreement. "What are we gonna call him?"

The new parents look down at their son for a long moment. "...Erik?" Steve says tentatively. Thor repeats the name, testing it, and nods solemnly.

"That is a good name. Erik Thorsson-Rogers."

Steve's eyes crinkle in a smile. He kisses Erik's tiny forehead; the baby scrunches up his face at the indignity. "Welcome to the world, Erik." he whispers, before leaning over to kiss Thor as well. Then Thor pulls up the blankets, and they let sleep claim them.

 

Hardly a day goes by that Steve isn't thankful for the super-soldier serum. It gave him more than a purpose- in the end, it gave him a family.

oO0Oo

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two! Three years later, Erik gets a little brother.

"Daddy?"

A tiny hand pats at Steve's face. He groans and rolls over. There are a few moments of silence, just long enough for him to doze off again. Then the hand comes back, more insistent this time.

"Daddy!" pat, pat, pat. "Daddy, wake up!"

"Ngh." Steve opens one reluctant eye. "Erik, please. It's barely 7:00." he slurs. 

The words have hardly left his mouth before Thor appears and scoops Erik up from behind. The three-year-old is slung over his dad's broad shoulder and carried, squealing, out of the bedroom.

"Hush, Erik." Thor chastises him gently. "Your father is very tired. Let him sleep."

Erik furrows his brow, suddenly serious. "But it's breakfast time." Thor swings him around in a well-practiced move (eliciting more squeals of delight) and deposits him on the sofa. Amidst the giggles that follow, he leans in and ruffles his son's straw-colored hair.

"You and I shall have our own special breakfast." he says conspiratorially. Erik thinks for a moment. Then his eyes brighten.

"Pancakes??"

"Pancakes." Thor echoes with a smile. "Would you like to help?"

Erik nods, and off they go to the kitchen.

-

An hour later, the pancakes are done, and the kitchen is a mess. Erik is covered in flour and about as content as a three-year-old can be. He sits at the table, happily eating his breakfast while Thor tries to undo some of their culinary damage. A plate of pancakes has been set aside for Steve, but Thor doesn't intend to take them to him. Steve has been so tired lately. Between dealing with the last weeks of pregnancy and taking care of Erik, he's usually in bed by 9:00 p.m. and asleep 'till 10:00 the next morning (even though Erik is still determined to wake him up by 7:00). So it's a little surprising when, at 8:00, the shuffle of slippered feet heralds his arrival into the kitchen.

"Hiiii!" Erik crows.

"'Morning, sweetheart." Steve bends down as much as his belly will let him and plants a kiss on his son's hair. Then he sputters. "Why are you all floury?" he laughs, wiping his face on his sleeve.

Erik brandishes a fork-full of pancake. "Me an' Papa made breakfast!"

"We saved some for you." Thor sets the spare plate on the table. Steve snags a kiss as he walks by.

"That's very sweet, thank you," Steve sighs and rubs his belly. "but, uh...I'm not really hungry. You two enjoy." with that, he shuffles to the refrigerator and pours himself a glass of milk before making his way to the living room. Thor watches him go. He's never known Steve to refuse food...but then again, pregnancy changes many things. He shakes off the thought and turns back to Erik. There's a faint ring of flour around the three-year-old's chair.

"When you finish your breakfast, Erik, we'll get you cleaned up."

Erik, his mouth full of pancake, just nods.

-

Steve is asleep again when Thor carries Erik back through the living room. They tiptoe past him and into the bathroom, where Thor starts filling the bathtub. At times like this, he wishes he had more arms, or better control of magic. He remembers when he and his brother were small; their mother would sometimes corral them with a spell when they got too rowdy. Now he understands why.

At last the tub is filled with warm water and bubbles. Thor has to chase down his son and shoo him back into the bathroom, but Erik gravitates toward the water as soon as he lays eyes on it. The little boy splashes happily amongst the bubbles while his dad scrubs the flour from his hair; by the time he's done, they're both soaked. As Thor is draining the tub, a sound catches his attention: footsteps, just barely audible over the gurgling water.

"Hi, Daddy." says Erik from the depths of his blue-and-green towel. Thor turns around. Steve is in the hallway, looking lost.

"Steven...?"

Steve takes a slow, determined breath. One hand presses into the side of his belly. "The baby's coming." he says. Thor opens his mouth to speak; Steve shushes him with a look and continues, "Not immediately. I didn't want to say anything 'till I was sure, but...the contractions are pretty regular. We should get Erik over to Pepper's before things get too crazy." his husband doesn't look convinced. Steve rolls his eyes fondly. "I'm okay, Thor, really. Just get Erik cleaned up and dressed. I'll call Pepper."

Pepper Potts has become their go-to babysitter over the past two years. She's usually the only person in the Avengers Tower who's willing and able to take care of Erik (Tony doesn't like kids, Clint and Natasha are rarely home, and Bruce is...well, Bruce) and she's suprisingly good with kids. She offered to help with Erik almost as soon as Steve announced his second pregnancy. They're grateful for it, much as they'd like to have their son with them. He's turning out to be a very sensitive little boy, and seeing his new sibling's arrival to the world would be too much for him. Plus, they're doing this one on their own- well, more or less, they've got Bruce's number on speed-dial- so Erik would just be a distraction.

"Pepper? Hi, it's Steve..." 

Thor didn't even realize Steve had left. He listens in as he helps Erik into his shorts and T-shirt.

"...no, that's okay. Thor's getting him dressed now, we'll bring him over in a few minutes...yes. Okay, see you then." the phone clicks and falls silent, and Steve's footsteps pad back down the hallway. Erik takes advantage of his dad's distraction, wiggling out of his grasp and darting away to the living room. Thor lets him go. He's still reeling from the announcement.

The baby is coming.

Already his head is buzzing with things to be done: check their supplies, call Doctor Banner, get their room ready...thankfully, Erik is eager to go once he has the incentive of seeing Pepper; he practically leads the way to the apartment. Even when Steve has to pause and breathe through a contraction, Erik only stops to hurry him along. Thank goodness for children's one-track minds.

-

Tony answers the door when they arrive. He looks at Erik the way one might look at a ticking bomb, and immediately calls for Pepper. When she appears (and he vanishes), Erik happily attaches himself to her leg. She greets them as brightly as always.

"So, the big day's finally here, huh?" she says to Steve. "You ready to be a big brother, kiddo?" this last question is directed at Erik, who scowls and shakes his head. "No?"

"He's been like that since day one." Steve admits, handing over the bag of toys they packed for Erik. Pepper sets it next to the door.

"He's still little." she assures him. "I bet you he'll change his mind as soon as he meets the baby. And until then-" she bends down and scoops the little boy into her arms, then settles him against her hip, "-we are gonna have a great time. Aren't we?" Erik nods solemnly. As if on cue, Steve suddenly leans into the doorframe, eyes shut and one hand on his midsection. Pepper grows serious.

"Speaking of which," she says, "I think you two had better go."

"Yeah..." Steve's voice is tight with pain. "They're getting worse." he irritably swats his husband's hands away. "I'm fine. Let's just go."

Thor nods and turns to his son. "We will see you later, Erik." he gives the little boy a whiskery kiss on the forehead. And before he moves away, he whispers a word and Erik whispers it back. Steve smiles at this. He knows that word, although he could never quite pronounce it; it's like a secret code between Thor and Erik, a Norse word that translates to 'I love you' but means a lot more than that.

Then it's Steve's turn. He ruffles Erik's hair and plants a kiss on his cheek. "You be good for Miss Potts, okay? We love you." Then he and Thor say their goodbyes and thank yous to Pepper, and he begins the long waddle back to their apartment.

-

Steve's labor with Erik was all hurry-up-and-wait: waiting for that next centimeter, waiting for his water to break...

This is not.

His water breaks shortly after they get back to their apartment; after that, things really start to escalate. Within two hours, the contractions go from eight minutes down to four. Another hour-and-a-half, and they're at one minute. It's as though his body just wants to get it over with, and while he can't argue with that, it feels like he's scrambling to keep up. He's scared. The rational side of him- or whatever's left of it -knows that this is just the last step to meeting his baby. The rest of him is moaning through one contraction after another, and stopped caring hours ago.

They've been circling the apartment for fifteen minutes when Steve stops in his tracks. The pressure is overwhelming all of a sudden, and the pain- "Thor," he gasps, then the next wave sweeps him away. Somehow he gets back to the bedroom. He finds himself standing next to the bed, feet apart and palms flat on the mattress. Thor is somewhere in the room, he can't tell where, but it doesn't matter, this is happening now. His body is bearing down on its own. He lets out a pained noise and Thor's presence seems to zero in on him. Hands on his arms, trying to lift him onto the bed; he snarls and swats them away before bearing down again. The pain crescendoes, and he hears himself groaning. It's almost like being in a battle: everything's happening too fast and all at once and he'd be scared out of his mind if he had a moment to breathe...he IS scared out of his mind.

"Steven, slow down. You must breathe." his husband's voice cuts through the fog. Dimly, Steve is aware that he's hyperventilating, and it takes all his concentration just to stop. Then another contraction barrels into him, and he lets out a whine. Lights shimmer behind his closed eyes as he pushes. It burns. He pushes again. The pressure peaks and peaks and then subsides, and he hears Thor's voice again through the fog. He reaches down instinctively; his fingers brush against a nose, a tiny ear. It's almost over. He draws a deep breath and bears down into the next contraction. The pressure peaks again and the pain is everywhere and he hears himself yelling- and then it's over. There's nothing to push against. Thor's triumphant laugh fills the room, and then another sound cuts through it: the wavering cry of a newborn. Steve eases himself to the floor on shaky legs and turns around. There in Thor's hands is his baby- his son -flailing his tiny limbs and announcing his presence to the world. And Thor's smile could light up a city.

Thor lowers himself to the floor. "Another son," he breathes. Steve gathers the baby into his arms.

"James." the word is just barely a whisper. He repeats it, louder. "Hi, James." a shaky laugh escapes him. He looks up at Thor. "Stark's gonna be disappointed."

"Disappointed? Why...?" Thor furrows his brow.

"There was a poll...he had most of the Tower betting that the baby would be a girl."

Thor shrugs. Neither man is overly fond of Tony Stark. "Let him be disappointed." he wraps his arms around Steve and the baby and brings their foreheads together. "This moment belongs to us."

-

Steve is tired. It's the good kind of tired, the kind that comes from a difficult job well done. Bruce gave him and James a clean bill of health, and all the fear and craziness from the birth is replaced by a wave of endorphins that he intends to ride straight into sleep- but there's one more thing to take care of first.

"Erik? Come on in, honey."

A shy little face peeks around the door. Eyes look from Steve to James to Steve and back. He takes one step, then another...and then he's hurrying across the room as fast as his little legs will carry him. Thor helps him up onto the bed, and he's just about to bury his face in his dad's shoulder when he catches sight of the baby. Then he moves back.

"Hi, Erik. I missed you." Steve says gently. He angles James so that Erik can see the baby's face. "Want to meet your new brother?"

The little boy scowls down at James. He studies his brother's face carefully, but stubbornly stays put.

"His name is James." Steve continues. "You'll have to be gentle with him. He can't play with you yet, but you can help take care of him."

"Okay." Erik concedes. One finger brushes against the baby's hand; James reflexively makes a grab for it, and Erik looks on as his brother's tiny hand closes around his finger. He thinks for a moment. "I can take care of him...?"

"You can help, yes." says Thor.

Another pause. "Can I hold him?"

Steve and Thor exchange a glance over Erik's head. Steve agrees, and there's a moment of shuffling while James is handed to Erik and everyone gets settled. Then the room falls silent. Erik just watches James, takes in every detail and movement. "What do you think?" Steve asks eventually. "You like your little brother?"

"Mm-hmm." Erik nods and smiles. Then he leans down and plants a kiss on James' forehead with an exaggerated 'mwah!'. James startles at the unfamiliar touch and lets out a wail, and just like that, the spell is broken. Erik very quickly hands him back and scoots away to sit with Thor.

Steve can't help but laugh a little as James' cries die down. Erik might not be overly fond of his brother just yet, but it's a start. And as far as Steve is concerned, everything is just about perfect right now. He knows things will sometimes be a lot less perfect in the years to come, but for now...he has his family. And that's all he needs.

oO0Oo

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked the story, please leave a comment- I'd love to hear from you!


End file.
